Beauty Isn't Easy
by Regardless1604
Summary: In which poor Mayor Hamilton learns that teaching Cosmetology to grown adults is a little harder to do than one would think, especially when his own son is ashamed of his choices. One shot. Written for The Dares Forum. The Dare: Hamilton teaching a class!


**Alrighty, I just managed to finish this right before the deadline! Sweat and blood were put into this, though some parts are kind of rushed and it's a little more Gill-centric than I would have liked. BUT IT'S FINISHED! That's all that matters. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders... But anyway! Here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.**

To anyone visiting the small peninsula of Castanet on the Wednesday afternoon of the thirteenth day of Summer, the small town would appear to be deserted. But alas, it was very much so alive and buzzing, but all that energy happened to be packed into the small church at the top of Harmonica Town. _A wedding perhaps_? one may ask, but no, there was no such thing booked for the rest of the year. Instead, two months prior, it was resolved that on the thirteenth of every month a meeting would be held to discuss what changes could possibly better the town. Sadly, nothing had come of it so far, only outlandish suggestions such as an amusement park or an airport. Both were immediately shot down due to them both being… well, being stupid. Hopefully that month's meeting would have a better turnout, because honestly, the townsfolk had much better things to do than argue for two hours about absolutely nothing.

The first suggestion of the day was chosen, seeing as it was the only hand that was held up, and the lovely daughter of Ruth and Craig walked to the front of the room. It wasn't a confident walk, but Anissa forced herself to stand in front of the crowd with a pleasant smile.

"A-as you all know, Castanet is a small town, but we the residents love it just the same." She smoothed her skirt, trying to reassure herself that she was opening the right way. "But I feel that we are lacking something big… Something that we all must travel many miles to get to. Do any of you know what that would be?"

A hand shot up, waving excitedly. The farmer looked warily at it and sighed. "Luke, I thought we already told you _twice_ that an amusement park won't work. We don't have the land or the money or…"

"But it would definitely get us some big time tourist attraction, plus we could have loads of fun!" The carpenter fist pumped.

Before she could counter his response with something logical, Perry spoke up as politely as he could. "Please, do go on, Anissa."

"Thank you," she nodded, continuing her line of thought. "But what I am speaking of is a college. Some place adults like us can learn. The most we have here is a school for children, but what if _we_ would like to learn some things? I mean, special courses, like languages and cooking and things like that."

This was met by silence but also with attentive stares. Finally an idea that could maybe—just _maybe_—work out! This caused a burst of confidence within Anissa and she smiled wider as she took out a list from a pocket within her flowery apron.

"Well, I asked around, and I've gotten a list of classes that some have shown an interest in taking. There's drama, art, cosmetology, cooking, writing skills, first aid, animal care, and a few others. I figured that the older generation could teach us, especially since you all have experience with different hobbies and skills. I'm not sure if this would be paid for or just by volunteer work, but I'm sure we could figure out the details later! So, um… any thoughts?"

The room was filled with silence as the people pondered this, leaving Anissa at the front, feeling very pressured and nervous as to what the response might be. After all, as much as she wanted to benefit the town, she very much so wanted to learn something new since all she ever did was help with her parents' business. If this went through, she was sure that it would be a good, healthy experience for all the participants.

"I do believe," Mayor Hamilton spoke slowly as he rose to his feet. "That this is an excellent idea! I will personally patronize it, that is how much I like it! We could get our hands on some curriculum, or, of course, we could simply use our brilliance to come up with our own! Now, shall we have a discussion on this matter?"

Thankfully, there wasn't much of a discussion needed. Many heads in the crowd merely nodded to the idea, some smiles and thumbs-up were flashed, and a general air of anticipation surrounded the room.

Anissa, who was quite excited at this, managed to gather her wits and started up again. "Now, I've made a sign-up sheet for those who would like to teach, and—oh, what is it?"

Near the back of the room a single hand was raised and all the heads swiveled to look at Dale, who was now standing. "Uh, I don't mean to sound like a pessimist, but all the, er, young adults have jobs. If Luke an' Bo are out learning this stuff, there's no way we'll be able to keep up with the orders for work. I'm not quite the young man I used to be; I need my apprentices."

"I agree—not that I can't do anything by myself," Ramsey glanced over at the senior carpenter, almost as though he was challenging the other's manliness. "I'm perfectly capable, but I can't just let Owen off the hook; the young man needs some work ethic."

Murmurs of agreement were made, creating a feeling of doubt within those who were looking forward to these new activities. Thankfully, one lone soul spoke up for the good cause. "Night school!" Perry managed to say above the commotion, yet not yelling at the same time in that calm way of his. "Night school could work for many of you."

"But I work at night," A dismayed Selena crossed her arms. "I can't just leave my job; how am I supposed to make my dreams of becoming a professional dancer come true?"

Now it was Kathy's turn to stand up. "Yeah, she actually makes a good point there: both Chase and I work later in the day. The bar can't lose its cook, it wouldn't last."

"U-um… w-we could split the classes to, uh… fit our different schedules?" Candace managed to suggest, though she herself seemed very unsure about it.

At the front of the room Anissa was scribbling down notes on her paper. "Yes, this is perfect! We just need to do a little extra planning, and everything should work out fine! What do you all say? If we can figure out a way to make this work without anyone giving up their jobs, are we all in?"

"If it'll work, I say we should go after it!" Yolanda firmly put a fist in her other hand. "It'll be good for our junior generation to do something educational."

"Here, here!" The crowd erupted in excitement, just proving how tiny a community they lived in. Extra-curricular activities for adults would never create such commotion in the city, but that was just one of Castanet's perks; small towns always had that peculiar charm.

And oh how peculiar would that turn out to be.

* * *

"Shelly is up for teaching Sewing; Irene is handling First Aid; Colleen has Drama; Yolanda, Cooking; Ruth, Art; Cain, Animal Care; Simon, Photography; Writing Skills, uh…"

"That would be my task," Mira softly pointed out. Though she worked as a jeweler, writing light novels and poetry was a secret side hobby for her, just as painting was for Ruth.

"Oh yes, thank you," Anissa wrote down the missing name. "And Mira for Writing Skills."

It had been a week since it had been decided that classes would be taught. Those who volunteered to work as teachers were now meeting in the Town Hall, along with Anissa, who was helping to organize things, and Hamilton and Gill, who were there on official Town Hall business as usual. Though the good Mayor was putting all his attention and enthusiasm into the matter at hand, his son was quietly filing paperwork at the large oaken desk, minding his own business. It's not that he had no interest in doing something to benefit his own desires, but he was simply looking out for his family. Luna was quite excited about taking her classes, but with the baby at home and her husband at his job, she wouldn't be able to attend. So, being the responsible man that he was, Gill put aside his own wants and decided to take care of Vivian while his partner was gone and would take care of his secretarial duties in his spare time. After all, it brought him an unusual joy to see Luna so ecstatic about being able to do things she never got the chance to. In fact, she had even put her family first and stayed in Castanet while one of her dreams was to go to beauty school…

"Hmm, wait," Gill interrupted his father, who was now praising the volunteers for giving up their time for a good cause.

"Oh, Gill, what is it?"

"I never heard a name for Cosmetology called, or am I mistaken?" Of course he was sure that he wasn't; and apparently he had been paying a little more attention than he had let on.

Anissa flipped through her papers, a small frown creasing her lips. "I'm afraid that we couldn't find anyone to cover it. I'm sorry if that's a problem."

"Well of course it is!" the phrase slipped out a little more flustered than he had meant it to be. He smoothed his tie and cleared his throat, starting again. "Ahem, I mean… Father, you need to find someone. I don't care if you have to get a teacher from the city, just—"

Hamilton's smile wavered and his thin eyebrows furrowed out of his confusion as to why his son would suddenly act out this way. "Well… I-I'm sorry, but I don't think…" His voice trailed off under the pressure of the expectant icy blue stare.

"For Luna," That was the closest as humanly possible that Gill could get to pleading, but he knew that begging his father was more than necessary to get him to cave.

"Ah," The Mayor's demeanor quickly changed back to its cheerful nature and he allowed himself a chuckle. "Marriage really has made you a changed man!"

"That's beside the point."

"Ahahaha, maybe not as much as I may have thought!"

"_Father_," he said in as patient of a tone as he could manage—basically right before gritting his teeth.

"Oh yes, back to the main topic. I'm sure we could find someone, it just might take a bit of extra work…"

"Mayor, if I recall correctly," Colleen put in as Hamilton paused, "You had some kind of experience in that sort of thing? Before the Missus passed, I believe?"

The heads of the older folks bobbed in agreement, and before he could respond, Gill immediately turned on his father. "What is she talking about?"

"Ah… I never told you the story of how I met your mother, did I?" Hamilton's face flushed with embarrassment. Of course there was a reason he never did, it was such a shameful past for a respectable mayor like himself!

Gill looked at him skeptically. "I thought you grew up here together just like everyone else."

"It was a little more than that… You see, unlike you, I didn't want to be the mayor after my father. Instead, I… I always wanted to become a cosmetologist!" His eyes filled with happy reminiscence, while his son's just filled with growing horror. "So I ran away from Castanet to go to beauty school in the city. That, as I'm sure you can guess, is where your mother and I met. She was amazing, i-it's a pity that… that you only had her for a few years."

It didn't please him when his father got to talking about _her_; though he pretended to be passive about the subject, on the inside it bothered—upset—him that he grew up motherless. Thankfully by now he knew how to change the subject. "And then what?"

"Well, I fell in love with her eventually, but she rejected me initially and I came back home, heartbroken of all things! She followed me here and we were married a few months later. Can you imagine that? I'm a beauty school dropout and you didn't even know! Who would've guessed!"

Gill put a hand on his forehead. "You're rambling, but that doesn't matter. Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

"I was ashamed, I suppose." Hamilton smiled sheepishly. "But now that the truth has been revealed we can move on, right?"

He didn't respond, only taking a deep breath.

"Now, about that cosmetology teacher, I'm sure we could hire someone from the city—"

"Excuse me for my interruption, Mayor Hamilton," Shelly cut in. "But we could save those funds for something else if, ah… _you_ teach. You said yourself that you've had experience."

"Only seven months—"

"Yes, but that should be enough experience, right?" Yolanda stared at him expectantly.

"It's been so many years since—"

"But it would be better than having to pay lots of money to get someone out here." Ruth added.

"But—"

"It'll be good for you to do something like this, you should join us!" Colleen clapped her hands together.

"Ah, ladies, please—"

"I'm sure it's not just us," Anissa smiled and turned to Simon and Cain, and the other women followed her action. "You two agree that having Hamilton teach this class would be perfect, don't you?"

Though Cain wasn't one to crack under pressure, he followed Simon's example of quickly nodding in agreement to free himself from the dagger-like stares the women were giving them.

The Mayor took a deep breath, obviously being persuaded in that easily-played-to-do-what-people-want-him-to-do way he had. "Well, I guess it could work, if you _really_ want me to…"

"Father, absolutely not!" Gill objected. There was no way he was going to let him ruin his reputation as mayor by teaching for a _beauty school_ of all things! Besides, how would that affect his family? Gill would forever be known as "son of a beautician"; it was disgraceful!

Hamilton sighed at his son's demanding objection. "Now, now, Gill, it's all in the best interest of the community here!"

"That means nothing!" he said sharply. "I can't have you do this; you don't understand the repercussions!"

It was a rare sight to see Gill to get so worked up in front of the other townsfolk, but his father taking on a stern demeanor was an even rarer sight. "No, I believe I do understand. What kind of mayor would I be if I didn't help my own people out when they need it? I would be a terrible leader. Gill, you have to understand that if you're going to take my place one day, you need to learn how to care for other people. It took me years to learn that, but I did; and, you see, that is why I have decided right now to take this opportunity to play a bigger part than just the head of a town. I know my place, and you need to learn yours."

He refused to accept that as a valid argument as to why he was doing such a thing, set down his papers in a rough movement, and took his leave. Gill made his way back home, annoyed and frustrated. There were so many times that he took the short path back to his home in a similar mood—whether it was needless budget cuts or just a difficult day at work, he would keep his anger bottled up until he reached the front door, unconsciously making sure to keep his suave appearance in public. Oh, he did the same thing this time around, but there was an unusual sharpness to each step, a small part of a deepening scowl tugging at the corners of his mouth. After all, his father's idiocy had taken one step too far this time. To better the community for his people's sake? Ha! That wasn't it at all! He just wanted to relive the days when he still had his wife… And Gill _knew_ how to care for people and pretending to do so to fulfill your own selfish desires is most certainly not how you do it!

But then again…

_"What kind of mayor would I be if I didn't help my own people out when they need it? I would be a terrible leader. Gill, you have to understand that if you're going to take my place one day, you need to learn how to care for other people."_

That kept ringing in his ear. Maybe he _didn't_ know how to be a caring mayor, and maybe his father was right…

No! Of course he wasn't.

His own pride told him not to believe that lie. Gaining that foolish reputation was far worse than disaster. Because, to Gill at least, one's public appearance is one of the most important things to maintain. His walk to the front door said it all, but that façade shattered the second the door shut behind him, a step behind a slam. He was about to mutter a curse until he noticed Luna sitting at the table, an eyebrow cocked in concern.

"Oh, I didn't see you there, dear."

"Is everything okay? You seem flustered." She noted as she put a spoon of freshly mashed carrots into Vivian's eager mouth.

He didn't answer, but instead took a seat at the table, his forehead promptly set on a palm once he was comfortable. "My father… he can be such an idiot sometimes!"

"We can all make stupid decisions now and then, just let him do his thing!"

"But you don't get it!" He took a few minutes to explain what had happened, which helped him to relieve a little bit of his stress. Once he was finished, Luna just stared at him. "Well?"

"You're so adorable when you get annoyed."

"Luna! I'm expecting a serious answer from you! Back me up here, will you?"

All she could do was sigh and shake her head. "I'm sorry, but… I think what your father is trying to do is very sweet. I wouldn't mind taking a class or two from him, as long as he knows what he's doing."

"B-but—"

"Gill," She covered his hand with her own. "I know this is hard for you to deal with, but he _is_ his own person. What he does shouldn't affect _you_, just because you're related. Maybe this is just his way of showing that he cares about us, and I think you should let him do his own thing."

He sat there in stubborn silence as Luna took the baby out of her highchair, getting ready to give her a bath. Before she slipped into the bedroom, she turned back around, giving her final thoughts on the subject. "I think it could be lots of fun to take a class from your father, by the way. It'll make me feel like a kid again." She winked with a playful smile on her lips, then disappeared behind the door.

Gill sighed, trying to ponder what she had said. Though saying it in such jest, she did make a small point. Maybe his reputation wouldn't be tainted by having such an oddball for a father… And besides, Luna seemed as though she was looking forward to this even _more_ now that she heard the news.

Oh well, if it made her happy, than he was obliged to go through with it, even if it was an unwilling support.

* * *

Classes started a mere two days after the incident at the Town Hall, and Hamilton seemed to be avoiding his son more than his son was avoiding him. This made things harder for Gill, though, seeing how he was planning to talk to his father to awkwardly let him know that he supported his decision. Of course there was no way he was going to go up to him first, but since he wasn't making the first move for him, this just frustrated the young man even more and he decided that as an alternative, he would drop by the small schoolroom where the Mayor would be teaching. Hamilton knew nothing of this plan, and went about gathering his materials for the first day of Castanet's Cosmetology course.

"Goodbye," Hamilton called as he stood by the front door. "I'll be just around the corner if you need me!" With that he walked into the warm summer afternoon and a cool sea breeze drifted over to him, a wonderful feeling that would make anyone smile. But he wasn't smiling.

Instead the whole week he had been worrying about the type of father he was being; he didn't want Gill to be ashamed of him! He was all he had left, and for days he had been worried sick that he would get up and leave with his small family, never to see the poor Mayor ever again… Hamilton told himself many times that that was an exaggeration, and of course his Gill would never do such a cruel thing. But still, the thought bothered him… But there was no way he would let his family problems get in the way of his new job! He couldn't just let this opportunity slip through his fingers, regardless of the complications! He would just have to forge ahead and keep his mind on the job! Mind on the job, mind on the job…

The door to the one-room schoolhouse opened with a welcoming creak, and the musty smell of dust greeted him. Hamilton hadn't taught there in years… well, since his own son was just a child. And though it had to be almost twenty years ago, it seemed like yesterday…

"Reminiscing, are you now?" a voice suddenly came from behind.

"Oh, Shelly, I didn't see you there! I was just… thinking about the old times. When we were still young, blooming in our youth."

"Ah, yes." She gave a dry smile. "The days sure have flown by."

"Indeed."

They stood there for a few more seconds of silence until the seamstress adjusted the bag on her shoulder and turned to go. "Well, good luck, Mayor."

He nodded and stepped into the room, realizing just how dusty it was. Well, that wouldn't be too big of a problem, seeing how he brought a few cleaning supplies in case something was spilled. Within half an hour the room was swept clean and the desks were free of dust. It could've used some touchups on the paint and some of the floorboards were loose, but overall the cozy little place would serve its purpose well. As Hamilton was standing there admiring his cleaning job a head peeped out from behind the corner, making sure the place was open, then a flamboyantly dressed body followed.

"Hmm, seems you've done a lovely job fixing this place up, my good mayor." Julius walked into the room, looking around. "And to think that my dear little Angie will be attending this school in a year is a crazy idea; my baby is growing up so fast!"

"I remember those days myself." Hamilton chuckled at Julius's dramatic words, his own memories coming to mind.

"The circle of life happening right in front of us!" He paused to stare off into space then suddenly clapped his hands together. "Now, I suppose we will be starting soon, I'll get my supplies ready~"

The Mayor-now-Teacher decided that would be a good idea and started unloading supplies from his own bag: hair dye, thinning shears, mannequin heads completed with wigs, though honestly they gave him the heebie-jeebies…

As he did so, the others coming for the class arrived on their own until everyone was assembled. Julius, who wanted to expand his career beyond fashion alone; Luna, who wished to live a dream she never fulfilled; Molly, who was told by her husband Toby that she should do something for herself every now and then; Maya, who was told by Chase that she needed to try something other than cooking so that she didn't hassle her grandmother more than she already was. The young woman took this as a "loving" suggestion and so she gladly agreed, even though in all actuality it was a rude side comment and her and Chase were far from being lovers. The last member of the prospecting beauticians was Candace, solely because her sister did all but drag her into it.

The amount of pupils reached a greater number than he had expected; in fact, with five whole pairs of eyes staring at him, expecting him to teach them something he had a small amount of experience in made it seem like an almost daunting task. But in that incredibly optimistic way of his, Hamilton put on a smile and cleared his throat. After all, this couldn't be any worse than that time he got stuck in his own fireplace.

"Hello, students, and welcome to Castanet's first-ever Cosmetology class. In this hands-on course, you'll be learning how to style and dye hair, apply a fun time, and—whoops. Oh, wait a second, my cards must have gotten out of order." He paused to look through his index cards, causing them to get out of order more than they already were. "Hmm… seems that card six is missing. Oh well! I'll just have to screw it—that's the phrase you kids are using these days, right?"

The "kids" just stared at him until Molly spoke up. "I think you mean 'wing it.'"

"Oh yes, I'll just 'wing it' from here!" He laughed awkwardly, but seeing all the sullen faces urged him to continue. "So anyway, we'll be doing hair, makeup, oh um… skin care too! And those things for hands and feet, um…"

"Manicures and pedicures?" Julius filled in the missing words.

"Yes! Those. So, who's ready to get started?"

The adults exchanged nervous glances, just now realizing how unprepared he was. Oh well, it was a free class; if it crashed and burned, it… well, it crashed and burned. They may as well take the chance.

And oh, what a chance that was.

An hour had passed since the class had started, and Maya had already managed to die her wig's hair green, an accident stemming from mixing the wrong chemicals and bottles together, and no one had any idea as to how to go about fixing it. A bottle a bright red nail polish had been spilled on one of the desks, and now there was a permanent stain. Candace sat quietly in her chair, overwhelmed by the amount of things that were going on while her husband and sister were trying to get her to do something. They had both already done different things, from making a hideous mannequin face even scarier by use of makeup to the nail polish incident, no thanks to Luna.

Hamilton was walking around the room, trying to encourage the students and make corrections when needed, though he wasn't really sure what he was doing himself. Molly was the only one who seemed to be getting anything accomplished, putting all of her effort and concentration on painting the nails of a mannequin hand. One would think by watching her that she had never applied the fluorescent paint before.

That would be because she never had.

The farmer had almost finished the pinky without a single mistake when tragedy struck. Maya, whose wig was now flamingo pink, stood up from her chair with tears in her eyes. "I just can't do this! Chase was right, I'll never be able to do anything right!" She spun her arms around as she tried to run out and hit the wigged head. Sadly, Molly happened to be sitting next to her, and just as she was about to utter a proud "finished!" her hand was diverted, knocked into by the flying head. Out of surprise her tight grip on the bottle released, and it flew through the air and straight into Candace's lap.

She stared in shock as vibrant green nail polish soaked into her clothing. "M-my skirt… Luna, n-nail polish doesn't come out of clothing, does it?"

"Oh no!" The younger sister jumped up. "Napkins! I need napkins!"

Hamilton was lost in all the chaos, but his daughter-in-law's shouts reached his ears. "They're in my bag on the front desk!"

Luna raced over to the directed area and started rummaging through the large tote bag, then pulled out what she thought was napkins. "Got th—wait, feathers? Why would you have feathers in here?"

"They're for—oh, never mind! Just get what you need!" Hamilton waved his arms around, unintentionally hitting a passing by Julius in the face. At that moment the poor Mayor was regretting two things: one, hitting one of his students, and two, the fact that he hadn't taken a few seconds to zip up the bag the feathers were in that morning. By this time Luna had thrown them over her shoulder, shedding feathers behind it.

"I found them!" She held up the pack of napkins triumphantly, then dashed to her sister. Sadly, she didn't quite make it all the way. On her way the toe of her shoe landed on a feather, which had landed on a large drop of spilled nail polish. She promptly slipped, and once the painful _thump_ that followed it ended, the room grew deathly quiet. Gill, who was standing in the door with the baby in his arms, stared at the huge mess in horror, having seen the whole thing take place. His wife quickly peeled herself off the floor and made her way to him a little more carefully.

"Oh, honey, I didn't see you there! Ahah… we're just, uh, doing some stuff! Yeah!"

"…I see." He looked past her and to his father, who had a fake smile plastered on his face. "What is going on here?"

"O-oh, well you see…" he looked around, trying to figure out some excuse. "Ah, we can't do anything well because, um… we don't have a real live test subject! Yes, that's exactly why, isn't that right?"

The others nodded uneasily, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. They were pretty sure that it was their teacher's inexperience that causing many of the problems, not their supplies.

"But oh, we have no such person here! Whatever shall we do?"

"Father, your overly-dramatic actions are sickening me." Gill put a hand to his forehead and sighed.

But no, Hamilton wasn't done with just that. "We could really use someone with fair skin and silky hair… Someone perfect to practice on, the perfect model, regardless of what gender _he_ is!"

The others were starting to catch on, and Luna tried for her best begging face. "Oh, please, please, _please_ Gilly-bear!"

"No!"

Then came the stuck out bottom lip. Oh yes, that got him every time. He looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. "_Pleeeaaase_? For _me_?"

It was obvious that he was battling within himself, but suddenly his father's words came back to him. He had to learn how to care for other people, work with their needs. After a few more moments of debate, he finally sighed. "…Fine."

The rest of the people in the room were about to cheer until they saw his glare pass over them. "Nothing leaves this room." He shut the doors forcefully to make a point.

"We swear over our lives!" Julius crossed his hand over his heart and the others followed his action.

"…Good. And if I catch _anything_ floating around town…"

"We promise! Our lips are sealed!" Molly declared, and Luna just giggled.

Barely ten minutes later Gill's "makeover to support an educational cause" was finished. By first glance no one would recognize him, with his hair styled in some sort of an up-do, a terrible makeup job, and painted fingernails. His scowl just made the scene that much more better.

Luna wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You look so beautiful!"

"That's not funny." He stood up and looked shamefully at the floor. "I think class is dismissed now, right Father?"

"Oh yes, of course." Hamilton agreed and nodded to the others. "Thank you for coming. Don't worry about cleanup, we'll handle it."

After everyone had left, including Luna and the baby, the two men were alone.

"Ah… well then, thank you for helping out, Gill; even if it was in an uncomfortable way for you. It… it makes me very proud."

"I-I wanted to say something to you too," he responded after a moment. "I guess that I'm sorry for treating you so terribly. I see what you mean now by helping the community in a more personal way." He looked up to meet his father's eyes, but he just found him trying to hold back from laughing. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time taking you seriously with, uh," he gestured to his face.

"I'm never doing this ever again, just so you know."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I think I may be done too—I got in a little over my head." he sighed, "You were right, I shouldn't have done this."

"Huh? Oh, well… I think it was okay of you now... Just as long as you never do it again."

They both laughed, a good, real laugh. In fact, the first one they had shared in a long time.

Both father and son left the schoolhouse, the only trace of the catastrophe that went down there in their memories and on Gill's face, and everything was good.

* * *

Thankfully Cosmetology wasn't the only class that failed to serve its purpose. For a few more weeks of summer general chaos ensued all over town: sewing machines broke, animals ran for their lives, a few things blew up, teachers and pupils alike suffered from food poisoning, and more than a few people were sent to the clinic. That made Hamilton feel better about his efforts being a complete failure and after everything was over and done with, Gill's pride wasn't anymore than bruised, except for the fact that he was used as a test subject. Thankfully everyone in the room swore over their lives that they wouldn't tell a soul and that there were no cameras to take blackmail photos with…

Or so he thought.

But in the end it was decided that adult courses were meant to be taken in the city and weren't right for a small town like theirs. The meetings to "better" the town were cancelled soon after, because honestly, the place was perfect as it was; that is, calm and peaceful.

And that is why, kids, Castanet is now the same way it's always been: maybe a little boring to visitors and just a tad bit peculiar to non-residents, but one thing was for sure.

It still had that wonderful small town charm, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

**A/N: So, how was it? A few reviews would make me pretty happy :D Aaaaand, if you haven't checked out The Dares Forum, you should! We have lots o' fun :)**


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